Jamie Oleksiak | Defenseman | #6

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Jamie Oleksiak, who is owned in just three percent of Yahoo leagues, is trending upwards.

Oleksiak is the 33rd ranked defenseman on Yahoo in the past 30 days. Particularly, he has 42 hits since Jan. 1, making him a good pickup in banger leagues. However, he shouldn't be on your radar if you are looking for points. Feb 4 - 9:19 PM

Jamie Oleksiak had 17 penalty minutes and a pair of assists Sunday.

Oleksiak got two for instigating, five for fighting and a misconduct fighting Brendan Smith of the Rangers. His two helpers give him four assists and seven points this season in addition to 44 penalty minutes. It was a nice game but Oleksiak does not usually have fantasy value. Jan 15 - 8:22 AM

Penguins GM Jim Rutherford's decision to acquire Jamie Oleksiak on Tuesday might set the stage for another trade this season.

The Penguins got Oleksiak from Dallas in exchange for a 2019 conditional fourth-round pick. While Oleksiak isn't likely to be a major factor in Pittsburgh, he does provide the team with some extra depth that Rutherford can take advantage of. "If we were to move a defenseman going forward, I don't get locked into having to get a defenseman back," Rutherford said. "I have more flexibility now. If the right forward's available, we can do it that way also." The NHL's roster freeze has begun and will extend through Dec. 28, so any additional moves Rutherford makes can't be imminent. Wed, Dec 20, 2017 07:24:00 AM

Evgeni Malkin recorded one goal and two assists in a 5-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs Saturday.

Malkin's 33rd goal of the season not only tied the game at two in the second period, but it also gave him 900 career points. The center is the fourth Penguins player in team history to reach the milestone. Pittsburgh won the game off goals from Malkin, Carl Hagelin, Zach Aston-Reese, Olli Maatta, and Bryan Rust. Malkin now has 33 goals and 69 points in 56 games this season.

Pittsburgh has the top PK in the NHL dating back to Dec. 1 and Sheahan is the team's leader in shorthanded ice time. He's also been being excelling on the draw with a 55.7% success rate since joining the Penguins and has done well centering the third line. All-in-all, the Penguins decision to acquire Sheahan from Detroit back in November has worked out well for the club. It'll be interesting to see how the Penguins' depth charts work out if they do acquire another bottom-six center before the deadline as seems to be their goal. Penguins GM Jim Rutherford suggested that Sheahan might end up being tried on the wing, which is a role he's had before, or it might be that Sheahan even plays on the fourth line.

Rowney was considered a game-time decision for this one because he had been dealing with a lower-body injury. The Penguins forward has two goals and four points in 30 games this season. He shouldn't pop up on your fantasy radar.

Jake Guentzel scored a goal and added two assists to help the Penguins down Columbus 5-2 on Sunday.

Guentzel had just two points in 12 games in January, but is rebounding in February with four goals and eight points in nine games. The 23-year-old now has 19 goals and 33 points in 61 games this season. Guentzel has now matched his total from last season, but it took him 21 more games.

Bryan Rust has taken his game to a new level since being placed on a line with Evgeni Malkin.

The whole line, including Carl Hagelin has been great of late as Rust has five goals and 13 points in his last 12 games while Hagelin has seven points in seven games and Malkin, is well, Malkin, with 12 goals and 19 points in his last ten. While Malkin is owned in every league, the same cannot be said of Rust and if he is available, grab him immediately.

Phil Kessel scored a goal and registered an assist in Pittsburgh's 5-4 win over Vegas on Tuesday.

Kessel has been red hot lately with nine goals and 26 points in his last 18 games. That's pushed him up to 24 goals and 65 points in 55 contests this season. He's just one point shy of Nikita Kucherov for the NHL scoring lead.

No need to panic Hornqvist owners. It's part of his rehab schedule says Penguins' coach Mike Sullivan. It seems as if Hornqvist is progressing in his recovery from a lower-body ailment. That said, there is no timetable for his return.

Sheary registered an assist in the Penguins' 3-1 win over Los Angeles on Thursday. He has 12 goals and 22 points in 56 games in 2017-18. That's well below his sophomore pace of 53 points in 61 contests.

Ryan Reaves found the back of the net in the Penguins' 5-4 win against Vegas on Tuesday.

Reaves is primarily used as a source of PIM in standard fantasy leagues or of hits if your league values that category. His marker on Tuesday was just his third goal and sixth point in 52 contests. He has had a bit of a better offensive showing in past seasons, but he's never been enough of a contributor in that regard to make it worthy of note.

Aston-Reese now has three points in five NHL contests. As for Tuesday's contest, he had the luxury of spending part of it on a line with Sidney Crosby. "It's pretty easy playing with him," Aston-Reese said. "You don't even really need to call for the puck. He just knows where you are. As long as you keep your feet moving and find open spots, he'll get you the puck."

Kris Letang is hoping for a much better second half after registering only 28 points in 48 games.

The Penguins' All-Star defenseman has struggled by his own admission so far this season. Letang attributes some of his problems to a slower recovery from off-season surgery, to deal with a herniated disc in his neck, than he expected. "It's me trying to get back into it after eight months without playing hockey," Letang said. "It's not trying to find a way how to play. It's obviously something that's in the back of my mind. I want to play over 75 games a year now. It's just trying to get back into the rhythm, try to maintain stability. "I didn't think it was going to be as hard as it's been. It's tough. Eight months without playing, and I got right back into it." Look for Letang to finish strongly as the Penguins go into their stretch drive.

Maatta will be available for Wednesday's contest against Vancouver. That's not surprising given that Maatta had been playing through the sickness, but it is worth confirming because he had recently missed some practices.

Chad Ruhwedel will be a healthy scratch in Saturday's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Ruhwedel hasn't played a game since Dec. 27 because he's been scratched and injured. The 27-year-old has one goal and two assists in 30 games this season. Teddy Blueger will also watch the game from the press box.

Don't be surprised if the Penguins deal Matt Hunwick at the trade deadline.

Hunwick is not in the Pens' top six defensemen rotation at the moment but he could be valuable to another NHL team. As well, the Pens may need to shed Hunwick's salary in order to aquire a scoring winger, something that is allegedly on the team's wish list. Stay tuned.

Jamie Oleksiak, who is owned in just three percent of Yahoo leagues, is trending upwards.

Oleksiak is the 33rd ranked defenseman on Yahoo in the past 30 days. Particularly, he has 42 hits since Jan. 1, making him a good pickup in banger leagues. However, he shouldn't be on your radar if you are looking for points.

Tristan Jarry played an instrumental part in Pittsburgh's 5-2 win over Columbus on Sunday.

Jarry stopped 35 of the 37 shots coming his way, leading the Pens to a victory that pushed them into first place of the Metropolitan Division. The 22-year-old has won three of his last four games as his record improves to 10-4-2 with a 2.41 goals against average and 921 save percentage.